Myrtle Beach, S.C. (CNSNews.com) – Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum said he is more electable in November than GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney because Romney has a record of running as a liberal, highlighting his past stance on abortion.

Santorum cited a questionnaire that Romney filled out in response to NARAL-Pro Choice America during his gubernatorial campaign in 2002 in Massachusetts. Meanwhile, Romney said he was a pro-life governor in the Bay State and cited a letter of praise from the Massachusetts Citizens for Life group, and he asserted he was a pro-life governor.

When Santorum spoke to reporters after the Republican presidential debate Monday, CNSNews.com asked, “Is your statement here that Romney, based on his big government record, is more unelectable in November?”

“There’s no question about it,” Satorum told CNSNews.com. “We’re the most electable candidate in this race. We’ve proven it in our races in the past. We’ve been able to run as a conservative in tough districts and tough states and been able to win.”

Santorum went from the bottom of the pack to being considered a top-tier candidate after essentially tying Romney for first place in the Iowa Caucus, coming just eight votes short of victory statewide.

Romney is leading in most South Carolina polls, while Santorum is running third or fourth.

“Gov. Romney ran as a liberal,” Santorum said of Romney’s tenure in Massachusetts. “He says he governed as a pro-life governor. He didn’t run as a pro-life governor. He filled out 100 percent, he had 100 percent NARAL questionnaire, he filled it out 100 percent in agreement with them.

If the player does not load, please check that you are running the latest version of Adobe Flash Player.

“To say he governed as a pro-life governor, well he didn’t get elected as a pro-life governor,” Santorum continued. “He got elected as a rabid, pro-choice governor and may or may not have governed as a conservative. The point is, he can’t hide in this election. He’s got to run on his record, not saying one thing and doing another.”

During the debate, Romney explained the changing positions he has had on abortion. He said his position changed because of the issue of embryo-killing stem cell research.

“When I was running for governor I said I would leave the law in place as it relates to abortion,” Romney said. “I thought I cold go down a narrow path between my personal belief and letting government stay out of the issue. And then a piece of legislation came to my desk and it said that we would begin creating embryos for the purpose of destroying those embryos and I said I simply couldn’t sign something like that.”

“I penned an op-ed in the Boston Globe and said I am pro-life, described my view and served as a pro-life governor,” Romney continued. “The Massachusetts Citizens for Life has just written a letter this week describing my record saying this is a solid record of a very pro-life governor. I’m proud of that record.”